Verizon Adds New $95 Above Unlimited Plan, Will Let You Mix and Match Plans (Updated)
  • Posted byby Kellen

Verizon Adds New $95 Above Unlimited Plan, Will Let You Mix and Match Plans (Updated)

Verizon dropped big plan news this morning with the addition of a new unlimited data tier as well as a change that will allow customers to mix and match unlimited data plans on their family accounts. All of this arrives on June 18, so let’s talk about what’s happening.

UPDATE: Some additional thoughts here on the state of the US wireless industry and what “unlimited” means at this point.

Above Unlimited

For one, Verizon now has 3 unlimited data plans: Above Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, and Go Unlimited. If you have been paying attention to Verizon, you know that Above Unlimited is the new guy. This is a $95/mo plan for the supposed heavy lifters. It includes 75GB of “premium” unlimited 4G LTE data, unlimited talk and text, 720p video streaming, 20GB of 4G LTE hotspot, talk/text/data to and from Mexico and Canada, 5 monthly TravelPasses, and 500GB of Verizon Cloud storage.

How does Above Unlimited compare to Beyond Unlimited, which was Verizon’s previous top-tier unlimited data plan? For one, you get more “premium” 4G LTE data to use each month before Verizon might throttle you. On Beyond Unlimited, you can use 22GB of data before Verizon can start slowing your connection when accessing their network “in times of congestion.” With Above, you can use up to 75GB before that happens.

They’ve also added another 5GB of hotspot data to the plan, included TravelPasses (normally $10/day), and are letting you store up to 500GB worth of junk on their Verizon Cloud.

Above Unlimited costs $95 for a single line, $90 per line for two lines, $70 per line for 3 lines, and $60 per line for 4 lines. Beyond Unlimited starts at $85 for a single line. For $10 more per month, you get more “premium” 4G LTE data, more hotspot data, 5 TravelPasses, and cloud storage.

Mix and Match Unlimited

Going forward, Verizon is going to let you mix and match their three unlimited data plans. Previously, if you were subscribers of Beyond Unlimited and had multiple lines, all of your lines had to be with Beyond Unlimited. If you subscribed to Go Unlimited, same thing. But now, you can have dad and mom with Beyond Unlimited plans, your brother with a Go Unlimited plan, and your Instagram god sister with Above Unlimited.

The pricing is pretty straight forward. If you look at the chart below, everything depends on how many lines you have. Should you choose to mix and match, you just find the number of lines and match it up to this pricing. If you have 3 lines using one of each of Verizon’s unlimited plans, you would pay $50 + $60 + 70. If you have 2 Go Unlimiteds, 2 Beyond Unlimiteds, and an Above Unlimited, your bill would be $40 + $40 + $50 + $50 + $60. If you have 2 lines, 1 on Beyond and another on Above, you would pay $80 + $90. That make sense?

verizon unlimited data plans

Again, all of this kicks off on June 18 (Monday).

Verizon Unlimited Data Plans

verizon above unlimited plan

verizon beyond unlimited plan

verizon go unlimited plan

// Verizon

Written by

Kellen

It’s not often that you get to merge personal passions into a professional life, but that’s what Kellen did when he launched Droid Life in 2009. After working years of unsatisfying jobs in the medical and property management fields, he took a risk to try and create an online community while playing with the coolest gadgets on the planet each day, a risk that has turned out to be incredibly rewarding. Outside of Droid Life, Kellen is your typical Portlander who drinks way too much good beer, complains often about the Trail Blazers, and can be found out on the streets for a run, rain or shine.

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108 Comments

  • For those that are curious I’m on the original grandfathered unlimited. I’ve no wifi at home so I’m always grateful for unlimited 4G data. It’s $49.99/month minus a modest discount I receive (Verizon gives educators and others a discount in some states.) Based on my use I generally pay $1/GB or less. Terrific bargain.

  • I used 179gb last cycle without being throttled. Not worth it to upgrade and I’m sure their cloud doesn’t allow uploading anything to it

  • What a joke. Only worth it IF you are a heavy, consistent traveler. At the very least, this should have totally uncapped streaming. If that was for 5G, I’d possibly consider it. Otherwise, a totally confusing cash-grab by VZW. This is setting up for a multi-tiered, highly complex structure for 5G pricing, I’ll wager.

    The best VZW unlimited “deal” was the original return of unlimited in Jan of 2017 or whenever that was.

  • Is there a Bed Bath & Beyond unlimited option? I hear you can get 20% off any single item.

  • I honestly dont see why everyone is hating on this. Capped at 720p, I don’t care, I watch everything at 480p anyways to save data. I could use the 75gb cap, right now I’m averaging 40gb, and other people on my plan use much less so the mix and match is also nice.

  • Only 3 unlimited plans? They should have 9 or 10 unlimited plans.
    1. Basic Unlimited,
    2. OK Unlimited,
    3. Unlimited,
    4. Better Unlimited,
    5. Much Better Unlimited,
    6. Unlimited Silver,
    7. Unlimited Gold,
    8. Unlimited Platinum,
    9. Supreme Unlimited,
    10. Godly Unlimited Also known as turn your paycheck to us unlimited.

  • ….and people thought T-Mobile One (with two optional upgrades) was confusing.

    VZW has what now, S, M, L, Go, Beyond, and Above?

      • Exactly, they all have Unlimted*. I’m actually surprised that this is priced decent. Only $10 more to increase the unrestricted data by 53 GB. I would’ve thought they would’ve doubled the price or close to it.

      • Honestly no clue, out in these areas the only one with decent coverage is Verizon.

  • Still holding onto my grandfathered unlimited plan, and using an unlocked (not rooted) Moto X Pure to tether devices via hotspot. I go well over 20GB with the devices I connect to my hotspot in a month, but rarely go over to 75GB on my line in general. Does anyone know if VZW can distinguish between data used via hotspot on an unlocked phone vs data used in general? If they can’t I’m thinking about jumping ship to save a few bucks.

    Anyone know if the 720p capping applies to services like Plex?

    • Yes they can. And even if they couldn’t don;t be a dick. Switch carriers if you don’t like their plans or pricing

      • Didn’t realize I was being a dick by paying for a service, and thinking about maybe saving some money if it meant that said service’s quality was not affected. I also didn’t realize I said I didn’t like their plans or pricing.

          • Pretty sure my comment above was a question, not a statement. Lol no one ever said that you said anything. It’s about what you are implying.

          • I wasn’t implying anything. It’s all about what you are inferring.

            For what it’s worth – I’m still on the grandfathered plan because I don’t see a reason to hop onto one of these plans yet. What I have has been very good to me, and I don’t want to lose it forever unless I A) am forced to via Verizon giving me an ultimatum, or B) choose to because Verizon decides to change this “unlimited until you reach a threshold” business. I’m not complaining about how Verizon is structuring their service, but I’m also not willing to give up something I’ve been accustomed to for over a decade. My days of streaming anything under 720p are over, and with the popularization of x265 encoding, I’ve been overhauling my media libraries to store 1080p content more and more.

          • Yea, and this paragraph is geared toward me:

            “So why shouldn’t you switch? Well, if you are locked into a contract and use massive amounts of data per month, plus you happen to still be able to tether at an unlimited tick, it might be worth hanging around on a grandfathered plan. You won’t be throttled at 22GB and Verizon shouldn’t be able to run you off the plan until your contract is up. Also, if for some reason your plan cost isn’t much more than a single line or multi-line Verizon Unlimited account, it certainly makes sense to stay where you are. Finally, Verizon Unlimited doesn’t allow for many employer discounts, as far as I can tell, so the price Verizon is advertising is the price you’ll end up paying.”

            Not locked into a contract, and Verizon hasn’t sent me “the letter”.
            I use a lot of data, and I’m able to tether at an unlimited tick. I live in the NYC metro area, so I’m pretty sure I’d get throttled/de-prioritized when their network is congested.
            Unlike Kellen, I’m not paying almost $150 a month, so the price isn’t a factor either. $95 for Unlimited* data isn’t the value I’m looking for.

            Lol

  • Wonder what this means for those of us on the slightly older “new Verizon Unlimited” plan. ha.

  • I’m still on the old old old grandfathered unlimited plan… Not sure what, if anything, this means for me.

  • Thanks, but I’ll stick to the $84/month i pay TMo for two lines, full unlimited, and no cap on what resolution i use to watch videos. Suck it, Verizon.

    • I just upgraded my line (we have 5 lines on our plan, I just upgraded mine) to the International Plus – unlimited 4G hotspot.

      Pretty sure T-Mo is the only US Carrier that even has that option. Great for my chromebook when I am at work or out of the house.

      • I’m not 100% certain on this, but I am pretty sure the entire intent of his post was to say exactly that; that this plan was most definitely not meant for him.

        So…?

  • I’ll stick with my $40/6GB from ATT prepaid.

    Next month I’ll upgrade to their new…$40/8GB plan…. Let that sink in. VZW can KMA

  • Am I understanding this right? It looks like the first effect of the recently killed net neutrality. The ‘Go Unlimited’ plan is not ‘premium’ LTE and will be the first to be slowed when the network is congested.

  • What a complicated horrible mess of plans, seems like it was created to confuse the average consume to get them paying for stuff they don’t need.

    • That’s what phone companies have been doing for decades. I remember there was an episode of Seinfeld where a guy said, “Mam, I work for the phone company. Don’t try to confuse me with semantics”. Because the phone companies have been trying to confuse customers with complicated plans and contracts for forever.

    • I’m stuck with Verizon. I live in farm I owe Iowa. They are the only one with good reception. I use the 85.00 dollar a month unlimited plan with a 22gb cap. I average 50gb’s a month and have never been throttled. Believe me where I live congestion is not a problem. Hell’s Bell’s, there is only 3 million people in the state of Iowa. Service has been swell so I’ll stick with I whatI have. Me, the piggy’s, corn & soy beans. Yikes!

  • I think someone at Verizon should Google the definition of ‘unlimited’ .. you have three choices of limited ‘unlimited’ plans? The first line in the above image says Premium Unlimited 4G LTE (75GB) is that not an oxymoron? ????

    • Unlimited can refer to many things – it does not have to refer to all things.

      “unlimited speeds for data until the user reaches 75GB downloaded.” makes logical sense and is a non-contradictory statement.

      My child understands this basic concept. Are you actually stating you do not?

      • The word “tool” in your screen name was a good choice .. I had an unlimited plan on Verizon for many many years and it was unlimited.. these plans are not.

        • So…you don’t grasp the concept.

          Such a pity. Schools are apparently failing us left and right.

          Regardless; your inability to grasp that unlimited does not have to refer to everything does not make me a tool.

          You need to work on your logic, bud.

          Unlimited everything is different than unlimited 4G speeds up to 75GB. Shocking. Amazing. (that you don’t get the concept…)

          • lmao. Oh, we”re name-calling now? Alright. Oh, yeah – that’s right; you kinda crossed that line in your first response.

            Hey, you called me “tool”, “snowflake”, and said I was “triggered”. Wow. You’re so clever.

            Does…does it make you feel better about being an imbecile?

            Now if only you could grasp the basic concept of something being both limited in one fashion while being unlimited in others.

        • Unlimited refers to the amount of data you can use. So it’s not wrong for them to call it unlimited since you can use as much data as you want. The caveat is that after a certain amount, they throttle you to really slow speeds.

          • Actually they don’t throttle you, they de-prioritize you. It’s worse than throttling, but it only happens in congested areas.

  • What a horrifically complicated tier of plans and not a decent deal among them.

    • It will probably worth upgrading temporarily to the beyond unlim plan for the free travel passes if travelling. Especially if you have an employee discount – as the discount applies to the plans and not the travel pass charges. The additional cost to get to the beyond plan from whrever you are is likely cheaper than $50 for the 5 travel passes, and you get additional perks. Then next month you take it back down to your normal plan.

      • With the unlimited plans Verizon has gotten rid of employee discounts. That’s the reason I have not switched. I have an Xl family plan which cost$90 for 20gb. Then iget a 20% discount. So I pay $72 for my data plan with 3phones and a tablet.

  • One would think Beyond would be the higher of the two plans given the phrase “above & beyond”.

    • Agreed. They should have used “Beyonder” – it would not have been any more ridiculous than the plan. 😉

  • Sometimes I want to switch back to Verizon for the slightly better coverage over AT&T, but I can’t make myself stick to their limited phone choices. Maybe after they kill CDMA, and if they decide to stay open like most GSM carriers.

  • “720p video streaming” – What in the actual fsksk! You would think paying ABOVE normal pricing will allow them not to cap your streaming.

    • Yeah.. why not just let people use up their data at whatever resolution video you want?

    • What exactly do they limit to 720p, and why? I haven’t noticed anything dropping to 720p on my phone. Netflix and YouTube are the two I’ve streamed, but can stream 1080p and 1440p just fine.

  • Ok so for the 75gb of premium lte data…is that still liked to 720p? Or are you throteled back to 720p after you use up your premium data?

    • All of their plans are capped at 720p streaming because they’re assholes

      • and you;re free to use t-mobile, sprint or at&t. money talks, internet whining doesn’t

      • What exactly is capped at 720p? I get that “streaming” is capped, but they don’t cap my Netflix and YouTube streaming. I always have to manually turn down the resolution to conserve my “Unlimited” data, haha.

  • We’re definitely still sticking to the briefly offered XXL plan (24GB shared/rollover data for $160/mo across three lines) because my mother-in-law use 0.01 GB/month… no way we’re shelling out $50/month for basically text and voice for her alone. And with the rollover data, if we need a busy month we always have 40+ GB of unthrottled data at our disposal.

    The L, XL, and XXL plans were surprisingly great deals, which is likely why Verizon did away with them so quickly.

    It’s also worth noting that cell service pricing in general grew to beyond ridiculous a while ago.

  • This is actually pretty great. Currently without home internet for a month or 2 in transition so I’ll jump on an extra $10 for 5gb more hotpot and 50 gb unthrotttled LTE.

  • Thanks but I’ll stick to T-Mobile’s Military $80 a month with fees included. Actually $90 because I added HD streaming to my line.

    • T-Mobile really hooked up the military and vets on this deal. My bill for my wife and I went from $159 on Verizon to $110 on t-mobile. It would only be $90 but I got HD on one line and a s9plus that was only $420 because of the military discount. I was worried about service but where I am in CO I get better service than I did with Verizon. I had Verizon for 14 years because I was worried about service and I’ve had no issues switching thus far. Saving $1000 over two years made it way worth it. Go T-mobile!

      • Again, pretty sure it not being meant for him was exactly the intent of his post. 🙂

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